RALEIGH, N.C.—WRAL-TV has produced a local documentary in 4K, the first TV station in the United States to do a local production in the high-resolution format. In conjunction with Sony USA, WRAL’s local
documentary production unit has just completed “Take Me Out to the Bulls Game,”
an up-close and personal look at one of the top Triple-A baseball teams in
America, the Durham Bulls. WRAL was the first station to broadcast a digital
signal in high definition in 1996, the first to produce an all-HD newscast
in 2000, and now the first local station to produce a program in ultra HD, the station said. (TV Technology knows of no other station that has done or is doing a local production in 4K.)

“We believe 4K is the next major
development for broadcasters to enhance the viewing experience for our
audience,” said Jim Goodmon, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting, owner of WRAL and the Bulls. “The simple
truth is, the only way to learn what we don’t know and be able to design the
transition is to just do it.”

WRAL-TV Director of Engineering and Operations Pete
Sockett and Station Manager Jim Rothschild assembled a team of leading experts on the technology to
assist the station’s documentary unit with shooting, editing and
post-producing the program. Producer
Clay Johnson and photographer/editor, Jay Jennings, led a group of WRAL
production personnel capturing everything that happens behind-the-scenes and
on-the-field on a Durham Bulls’ game day.

The images and rare glimpse into the inner workings
of the organization make up “Take Me Out to the Bulls Game.” The first public viewings of the program was
this week at Durham Bulls Athletic Park during events surrounding the Triple-A Home
Run Derby and All-Star Game.

4K ultra HD images have four times the resolution of high-definition video. Sam Matheny, former vice president of Policy
and Innovation for Capitol Broadcasting, and new executive vice president and chief technical officer for the National Association of Broadcasters, views 4K
as the future of broadcast television.

“One of the great promises of the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard is
support of 4K UHD,” Matheny said. “WRAL’s
work on this documentary gives the industry early insight into the next
generation of broadcasting, and the stunning pictures and improved storytelling
it will bring.”

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The FAA’s current rules and proposed ban on flight over people, requirement of visual line of sight and restriction on nighttime flying, effectively prohibit broadcasters from using UAS for newsgathering. ~ WMUR-TV General Manager Jeff Bartlett